Packaging for a recording medium in the form of a disc

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to packaging for a recording medium in the form of a disc, such as a CD, comprising a tray with a cavity making it possible to receive the disc and a lock making it possible to fix the disc on the tray, wherein the lock is connected with the tray so as to pass into the central hole of the disc and wherein the lock is provided with an articulated element suitable for moving from a first position, for contacting the exposed surface of the disc, to a second position for releasing the disc, characterised in that the articulated element is connected to the tray by means of an axis of rotation so as to move from its first position to its second position by pivoting in an axial direction of the disc, thus allowing the articulated element to follow a rotation of the disc with respect to the tray in this axial direction.

The present invention relates to the field of packaging of digital datamediums in the form of discs, which are currently used in the form ofcompact discs notably under the names CD, DVD, VCD.

Digital recording mediums have become objects of modern consumption,particularly in the form of compact discs including, notably but notexclusively, CDs, DVDs, VCDs.

These discs are traditionally protected by packagings which aregenerally constituted by a box which is closed by a cover or a flap.

The main problem encountered with regard to these boxes, of which thereare many models, lies in immobilising and reliably holding the disc onthe base of the box.

The lower part of the body of the box usually comprises a protrusionformed or furnished with flexible blades on which the disc is positionedby means of its central hole.

The disc is, in most cases, held by the effect of compression which isapplied by the inner diameter of its centring hole on the flexibleblades by causing the disc to clamped onto this protrusion.

This system is well-known to be unconstrained by the dimensionaltolerances between the disc on the one hand and the flexible elementswhich are integral with the protrusion on the other hand.

Moreover, the permanent positioning of the disc in the box subjectsthese flexible elements to permanent stress which, as a result ofpremature fatigue and the loss of the resiliency characteristics of thematerial, can cause the permanent deformation or the rupturing of thesedisc holding elements, which, as a result of it being released from thesupport, causes either damage or scratches on its surface, or causes itto fall when the cover of the box is opened.

In other models of boxes, notably those used for DVDs, the protrusionfor retaining the disc by its central hole comprises flexible elementswhich slightly cover the disc which is thus mechanically retained.

The release of the disc is then achieved by pressing on the central partof the retaining system, which is integrated into the protrusion of thebox along a course which is sufficient to cause the disc to be ejected.

Generally, it is possible, by exerting a simple pressure on the centreof the outer wall of the cover of this type of box, to release the discfrom its support, which can cause the disc to be damaged by scratches orcan cause it to fall when the box is opened.

This design weakness also makes it easy for discs to be stolen fromtheir packaging in stores and also has the disadvantage of bringingabout a substantial box thickness in order to be able to integrate theejection mechanism.

Although there are a number of flat boxes in existence, their totalthickness is never less than 4 mm, whereas the thickness of the disc isonly 1.5 mm.

This results in a loss of useful space during storage and loss ofefficiency in the filing of a large quantity of discs.

In addition to the reliable retention of the disc, the box has to allowit to be easily extracted.

Generally, the mere opening of the cover of these boxes requires thesimultaneous use of the user's two hands to gain access to the disc,which is not ergonomic and not very practical.

Considering the very design of a compact disc, of which the structure isconstituted by laminating several superimposed layers, the bending ofthe disc, which is frequently brought about during extraction due to itbeing retained too firmly or due to a retention which is ill-suited tothe disc hub, can, due to progressive degradation of the disc, causedata registered on it to be lost.

There are also boxes which are very valued by the issuers of multimediaproducts and which make it possible to simultaneously hold several discswhich are stacked, layered or laid side-by-side.

In addition to a very restrictive use, these latter boxes, of which thevolume cannot be increased, are generally designed to contain a specificand predefined number of discs.

This brings about the making of several boxes each corresponding to aspecific disc capacity, which, due to the multiplicity of the number ofmodels, represents a considerable industrial investment in terms ofmoulds and complex stock management.

In order to overcome this problem, other packaging models are based onthe repeated use of a simple tray for holding the disc.

In this case, each tray, characterised by a consistent thickness, isindividually stuck on a supplementary support generally made of printedcard, whereby the increase in the number of trays in one singlepackaging generates a substantial thickness of this packaging.

Furthermore, these trays have an uncertain retention of the disc whichdoes not allow them to be used vertically with absolute safety and cancause the disc to fall when the packaging is handled.

Different solutions, which aim to achieve greater reliability regardingthe bonding and the hold of the disc on the support, as well asgenerally greater functionality of the packaging, have already beensuggested.

In patent EP-A-0872846 (BASF AG/DE), there is described a system forholding the disc on the support by means of at least one or more mobilelevers, arranged radially around the centring shaft of the disc on thesupport, these levers being articulated in accordance with two axes eachof which is constituted by a hinge film.

The principle of the device as described is based on the briefdeformation of the part of the lever which is situated between the twoarticulation axes during the restricted linear vertical movement of oneof the axes relative to the other.

The implementation of the device, such as described, has severaldisadvantages which are created, on the one hand, by the need to carryout a specific action by exerting a vertical pressure on the controlbutton so that the levers release the passage of the disc and, on theother hand, by the same necessity of having to carry out the reversemovement, by pulling using the fingernails, on this control button inorder to be able to lock the disc on the support, which would seem to becontrary to any ergonomic logic and impossible to carry out in practice.

In this state of the art, the different existing models of boxes:

-   -   in the main, do not guarantee of reliability with regard to the        retention of the disc,    -   are restrictive and not very ergonomic in terms of their        handling,    -   are cumbersome and have a substantial thickness relative to the        disc contained,    -   bear risks of degradation of the disc when it is being        extracted,    -   cannot be stored or filed effectively,    -   do not integrate peripheral functionalities dedicated to the        filing and the archiving,    -   do not have modularity which makes them extendable to a        multi-disc configuration.

The present invention aims to resolve at least one of theabove-mentioned disadvantages. To this effect, the invention relates topackaging for a recording medium in the form of a disc, such as a CD,comprising a tray with a cavity making it possible to receive the discand a lock making it possible to fix the disc on the tray, wherein thelock is connected with the tray so as to pass into the central hole ofthe disc and wherein the lock is provided with an articulated elementsuitable for moving from a first position, for contacting the exposedsurface of the disc, to a second position for releasing the disc,characterised in that the articulated element is connected to the trayby means of an axis of rotation so as to move from its first position toits second position by pivoting in an axial direction of the disc, thusallowing the articulated element to follow a rotation of the disc withrespect to the tray in this axial direction.

The technical effect of this measure lies in the fact that the disc isfixed on the tray with the aid of a fixing means contacting the disc bymeans of a rotation axis. The holding of the disc is obtained by fixingthe articulated element on the exposed surface of the disc. The fixingis independent of the exact dimensions of a lock element which must beinserted into the interior of the central hole of the disc. This meansthat the fixation is guaranteed for all of the discs which are held onthe tray.

The fact that the fixing element is put in contact with the disc, usingan axis of rotation, means that the fixing means, the articulatedelement, can be moved from its fixing position to a position which makesit possible to release the disc from the tray by pivoting said fixingelement.

A user can thus use the disc itself to cause the fixing element, thearticulated element, to tip from its lock position to the position whichmakes it possible to release the disc. This rotation can be carried outwithout the risk of bending the disc.

According to a preferred embodiment, the lock is provided with a shaftsuitable for passing into the central hole of the disc, wherein thearticulated element is connected with this shaft.

According to a preferred embodiment, the articulated element isconnected to the support by means of a bistable hinge so as to make itpossible for this articulated element to remain either in its firstposition or in its second position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the articulation of the articulatedelement is formed by hinge areas of lesser thickness and is made up oftwo half-hinges that link the articulated element to the tray, wherebyone hinge links the body of the articulated element to a specific partof said element, which guarantees a spring function, and one hinge linkssaid spring part.

According to a preferred embodiment, the two half-axes of articulationand the axis of articulation have a fixed position on the tray, thehalf-axes being situated higher than the axis, the axis of articulationhaving a variable position, being situated either lower than thehalf-axes when the articulated element is in its first position, orhigher than said half-axes when the articulated element is in its secondposition.

According to a preferred embodiment, the articulated element is providedwith a spring.

According to a preferred embodiment, the tray is provided with aprotrusion, which is situated at the periphery of the cavity and whichmakes it possible to facilitate the lifting of the disc out of thepackaging, wherein this protrusion is located in line with the pivotaxis of the articulated element.

According to a preferred embodiment, the base of the cavity has anaperture adjacent to the shaft, of a shape and size slightly larger thanthe planar projection, on said base, of the articulated element in itsfirst position, in order to facilitate the manual actuation of saidarticulated element and to thus move it to its second position.

According to a preferred embodiment, the end of the articulated elementis formed by a shoulder extended by a rigid blade which bears and exertspressure on the exposed face of the disc, whereby said rigid blade has,in places on its lower face in order to contact the disc, a pliable andadhesive covering, keeping the disc in the selected radial orientation.

According to a preferred embodiment, the tray comprises, on one side,clipping and assembly means formed by a succession of femaleperforations, positioned in parallel and near to the edge, at regularspaces.

According to a preferred embodiment, the tray comprises, on one side,assembly means formed by alternating smooth shoulders and flexible tabs.

According to a preferred embodiment, said flexible tabs are situatedopposite the female perforations at an identical spacing and have, ontheir upper face, a male protrusion which can be snap-fitted into asimilar succession of identical female perforations, whereby thedistance separating the lower plane of the smooth shoulders and theupper plane of the flexible tabs corresponds to the thickness of thetray.

According to a preferred embodiment, the tray is provided witharticulation means formed by at least one groove parallel to the edge ofsaid tray, said groove being formed by a reduction in thickness on eachof the faces of the tray, creating a bidirectional double-hinge.

According to a preferred embodiment, the bidirectional hinge has anangle of at least 180°.

According to a preferred embodiment, the tray has a vertical engagementmeans formed by a curve-shaped indentation which opens out onto the sideof said tray, said indentation ending in a circular-shaped stop, andcomprising a hook of which the lower part is an inverted V-shape whichengages, in self-centred suspension, a rod with a round cross-section,whereby a circular contact area situated at the base of the indentationcan come to bear on a second rod with a round cross-section.

The advantages of the packaging according to the invention are, amongstothers:

-   -   direct access to the disc due to a tray without a cover,    -   securement of the holding of the disc on the tray, accompanied        by visual verification,    -   automatic release of this securement when the disc is extracted        from the tray, without the risk of the disc being bent,    -   practical and optimised ergonomics which require the use of one        single hand only,    -   the possibility of handling, orienting or storing the tray in        any position, without the risk of the disc coming loose, and        without there being a cover,    -   reduction in storage and shelving volume due to an extremely        flat tray,    -   the addition, by clipping, of peripheral modular functions for        filing and archiving,    -   modular extension to multi-disc configurations by means of        simply clipping trays onto one another or onto a support,    -   sticking the tray onto any flat support whilst still keeping its        modularity and clipping abilities,    -   guarantees a function of preventing theft of the disc out of the        tray by allowing it to be freed only by pulling and by lifting a        lever and not by pushing on a button,    -   stacking the trays, with or without discs, on top of one        another,    -   allowing the disc to be placed on the tray by means of        high-speed automated units,    -   efficient management of the filing, thanks to the direct linear        engagement and without a complementary element of the tray, in        suspension or bearing on a rod, or by inserting it into a        standard filing unit,    -   equipping the tray with a jacket or a simple front cover flap        made of card or any other material, by means of simple clipping        which thus makes it possible for it to be assembled by any user        and encourages the recycling of different materials due to        simple disassembly.

The attached drawings illustrate the invention according to anon-limiting example in which:

FIG. 1 shows a top perspective view of the device according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the device, according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of the device according to a secondembodiment,

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view AA (see FIG. 2) of said device,

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view BB (see FIG. 3) of said device,

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view CC (see FIG. 2) of said device,

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an element which makes it possible tofix several devices according to the invention,

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a second element which makes itpossible to fix several devices according to the invention.

The packaging according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1 and includesa tray 1 displaying a cylindrical cavity 2 which forms a housing forreceiving the disc 3 and protecting its sensitive face.

The tray 1 is preferably made by injection moulding from a plastic orany other suitable material.

The cavity 2 has a smooth or textured base 4 and an inner diameter whichis slightly greater than that of the disc.

The cavity 2 comprises a protrusion 5 which forms an extension situatedalong a radial axis, making it possible to grasp the edge of the discwith one finger.

The housing, formed by the cavity 2 and the protrusion 5, has aperipheral border 6 and is located on either side of the level of thetray 1, such that the total height of said housing is equallydistributed above 7A and below 7B the thickness of the disc, wherebythis arrangement contributes to the rigidity of said tray by limitingdeformations through torsion and makes it possible, by way ofnon-limiting example, to reduce the total height of the tray to 2.6 mm.

The cylindrical cavity 2 has in its centre a shaft 8 of which the heightis slightly less than that of the peripheral border 6, and of which theouter dimension is defined to be within the diameter of the central holeof the disc 9.

The shaft 8 is extended by an articulated element or a flat lever 10,characterised in that it is fixed on the shaft 8 by means of a rotationaxis, according to FIG. 1, the lever 10 being mobile and articulatedperpendicularly on said shaft 8, by means of three hinge axes formed bya localised reduction in depth.

The two hinge half-axes 11 link the lever 10 to the shaft 8, the hingeaxis 12 links the body of the lever 10 to a specific part 13 which actsas a spring, and the hinge axis 14 links said spring part 13 of thelever to the base of the shaft 8.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the relative positioning of thearticulation axes of the lever 10 with respect to one another ischaracterised in that the two half-axes of articulation 11, which have afixed position situated at the top of the shaft 8, with the articulationaxis 12 being moveable around the axes 11 and 14, can either be situatedbelow the axis 11 when the lever is laid down in the rest position 10Aor in the disc holding position 10C, or above said axis 11 when thelever 8 is raised in position 10B for releasing/inserting the disc 3.The positions 10A and 10C represent the first position of the lever 8.The position 10B represents the second position of the lever 8.

The specific part 13 of the lever 8, situated between the axis ofarticulation 12 and the axis of articulation 14 is, due to thepositioning characteristics of the above-mentioned axes, subject tolengthening so that the lever can pass from position 10A to position10B.

In order to be able satisfy this requirement, the specific part 13 ofthe lever has a curved or angled shape which permits it to brieflyresiliently lengthen in order to cause, by a spring effect, a bistableoperation of the lever between a rest position 10A and a position 10Bfor releasing/inserting the disc.

In an alternative, this spring part 13 of the lever is replaced by ametal or plastic element which is fitted onto the lever 10 and the shaft8.

The lever 10 and the shaft 8 are positioned in the centre of the cavity2 of the tray 1 along the same radial axis as the peripheral protrusion5 of the disc housing so that the lever put down into the rest position10A is oriented facing said protrusion 5.

The base 4 of the cavity 2 forming the housing of the disc has anaperture 15, adjacent to the shaft 8, which has a shape and sizeslightly larger than the planar projection of the lever 10 on the trayin its position 10C for holding the disc 3.

The lever 10, when laid down into the rest position 10A, without a discon the tray, is housed in a slightly inclined manner in the aperture 15of the base of the tray and will shape itself directly into saidposition through this aperture to form just one unitary piece with itshinge axes 11, 12, 14, the spring part 13 and the whole of the tray.

The lever 10, when raised in the position 10B for inserting/releasingthe disc, is oriented towards the top so as to free the passage throughthe central hole of the disc. During insertion of the disc, said disc isplaced in its housing by passing the lever, which is raised in position10B, through the central hole 9 of the disc 3 until said central hole iscentred around the shaft 8 and the disc 3 is resting on the base of thecavity.

The lever 10 can be actuated out of the rest position 10A, when there isno disc on the tray, into the disc insertion position 10B, manually withone finger or, when the tray is in use on an automated disc packagingline, by mobile mechanical means provided for actuating the leverthrough the aperture 15 on the base of the tray.

Once the disc is placed into the housing, the lever in the insertionposition 10B is pressed down with one finger to the rest position 10A,which cannot be reached when a disc is present, and the end of saidlever thus automatically comes to stop and to rest on the disc in anintermediate position 10C, in which the spring effect of the specificpart 13 of the lever 10 exerts on said lever a pressure which issufficient to firmly hold the disc in place in its housing, whatever thedimensional tolerances regarding both the thickness of said disc and thediameter of its central hole.

In the position 10C for holding a disc 3 which has a standard thicknessof 1.5 mm, the lever 10 is in a horizontal position, whereby the end ofsaid lever covers a marginal disc part which is adjacent to the centralhole of said disc.

The end of the lever 10 which presses on the disc 3 is formed by ashoulder extended by a rigid blade 16 of which the lower face, which isin contact with the disc, has in some places an insert 17 or a coveringmade of pliable and adhesive material, ideally overmoulded, which makesit possible to keep the disc in the selected radial orientation to allowfor direct and easy reading of the elements written on its upper face.

In order to extract the disc from the tray, after having grasped thedisc with one finger via the protrusion 5 of the disc housing, the discis slightly raised, causing a lever effect with its opposite edgebearing on the interior of the peripheral border 6 of the disc housing,at an angle of the disc relative to the tray which is sufficient for thelever 10 to be driven into the position of maximum spring effect, andthen automatically beyond it towards and up to the discrelease/insertion position 10B, at the moment when the central hole ofthe disc is free from the lever 10 and of the shaft 8, it becomespossible, by naturally positioning a second finger in said central holeof the disc, to firmly grasp said disc in order to extract it from thetray.

The disc housing formed by the cylindrical cavity 2, the protrusion 5and the peripheral border 6 has on the upper face of said peripheralborder a peripheral bevelled edge 18 oriented towards the interior ofthe housing and also comprises on its lower face, an outer peripheralbevelled edge 19, so as to allow indexed stacking forming a closedvolume of multiple trays, with or without discs on top of one another,whereby the lever 10 is in the rest position 10A or in the horizontaldisc-holding position 10C, whereby the upper level of the lever 10 insaid position is situated at the same level as the top of the shaft 8and at a height which is slightly less than that of the peripheralborder 6 of the disc housing.

According to the embodiment of the packaging according to FIG. 1, thetray 1 has, on a first side 20, clipping and packaging means formed by asuccession of female perforations 21 which have a rectangular or anyother shape, positioned at regular spaces in parallel and near to theedge of the tray, which make it possible for filing tabs, or any othercomplementary and modular element, to be snap-fitted into saidperforations

The tray 1 has, at its end 22 on a second side opposite the first one,clipping and assembly means formed by an alternating succession ofsmooth shoulders 23, which are linked to the upper face of the tray 1,and flexible tabs 24, which are linked to the inner face of the tray,whereby said flexible tabs are situated facing the female perforations21, and identically spaced apart and have on their upper face a maleprotrusion 25 which can be snap-fitted into said female perforations ofan identical second tray, or into any other complementary and modularelement, whereby the distance separating the lower plane of the smoothshoulders and the upper plane of the flexible tabs corresponds to thethickness of the tray 1 to make a rigid assembly possible.

The end 22 of the tray has articulation means formed by two grooves 26which are parallel to the edge of said tray, which form, throughlocalised reduction in thickness on each of the faces of the tray, adouble bidirectional hinge having an angle of at least 180° and makingit possible, after assembly by fitting and clipping a number of traysonto one another, to be able, by bending the trays back to back or faceto face, to create an assembly of a number of trays linked in anaccordion-like manner, which can be glued or clipped onto a jacketwhilst taking up a minimum amount of space.

The lower face of the housing of the disc of the tray formed by thecavity 2 and the protrusion 5 can be glued or clipped onto a jacket madeof card or any other material, whilst retaining the clipping functionsand the modularity characteristics of said tray.

FIG. 7 shows a modular element 27 formed by multiple vertical ribs 28 ofthe same thickness as the tray 1 and which are disposed in parallel on abase 29 and each comprise at their base a succession of apertures 30,the shape and spacing of which is identical to the female perforations21 of the tray, whereby said base has, at the base of each rib and oneach side, a localised reduction in thickness 31 which creates a hingeeffect and makes it possible for the base to bend, in order toconstitute a binder which can receive multiple trays through fittingonto the ribs 28 and clipping into the apertures 30 of the end 22 of thetray comprising the appropriate clipping means, said binder being ableto be stuck onto a jacket, in order to form a book of which the pagesare constituted by the trays, or inserted into a case.

FIG. 8 shows another modular element 32 formed by a sheet material whichcan be made of card or any other material, comprising a double row ofperforations 33 arranged in parallel and of which the shape and spacingare identical to the perforations 21 of the tray in order to constitute,after bending along a succession of parallel grooves 34, a jacket or asimple front flap which can be inserted without gluing by fitting andclipping into the end 22 of the tray that comprises the appropriateclipping means, thus constituting a printed and enhanced packaging witha number of adaptation possibilities.

According to a packaging alternative shown in FIG. 2, the tray 1 has inits upper part a vertical engagement means formed by a curve-shapedindentation 35 which opens out onto the upper side of said tray, saidindentation ending in a circular-shaped stop 36, and comprising a hook37 of which the lower part is an inverted V-shape contact area 38 whichengages, in self-centred suspension, a rod (39A) with a round, orotherwise, section, whereby the indentation (35) can come to bear on asecond rod (39B) which has a round section.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the tray 1 has, in one ofits upper corners 41 and/or lower corners 42, a vertical engagementmeans formed by an indentation 43 which forms an oriented hook 44 thatcomes to bear, by one of its faces 45, on a rod 46 with a roundcross-section which is extended by a radial rib 47 which makes itpossible to engage the tray laterally in a supported and cantilevermanner.

According to the alternatives shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, all of the zonesfor bearing on rods comprise a laterally extending border on either sideof the tray on said rods, within the confines of the total height of thetray.

The packaging according to the invention can be provided with groups oftwo circular perforations 48 placed in parallel and near the edge with astandard centre-to-centre which make it possible to integrate the trayand its engagement in ring binder or lever binder filing systems.

1. Packaging for a recording medium in the form of a disc, the packaging comprising: a tray with a cavity making it possible to receive the disc and a lock making it possible to fix the disc on the tray; wherein the lock is connected with the tray so as to pass into the central hole of the disc; wherein the lock is provided with an articulated element suitable for moving from a first position, for contacting the exposed surface of the disc, to a second position for releasing the disc; and wherein the articulated element is connected to the tray via an axis of rotation so as to move from its first position to its second position by pivoting in an axial direction of the disc allowing the articulated element to follow a rotation of the disc with respect to the tray in this axial direction.
 2. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the lock is provided with a shaft suitable for passing into the central hole of the disc, wherein the articulated element is connected with this shaft.
 3. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the articulated element is connected to the support by means of a bistable hinge so as to make it possible for this articulated element to remain either in its first position or in its second position.
 4. The packaging according to claim 3, wherein the articulation of the articulated element is formed by hinge areas of lesser thickness and is made up of two half-hinges that link the articulated element to the tray, whereby one hinge links the body of the articulated element to a specific part of said element, which guarantees a spring function, and one hinge links said spring part.
 5. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the two half-axes of articulation and the axis of articulation have a fixed position on the tray, the half-axes being situated higher than the axis, the axis of articulation having a variable position, being situated either lower than the half-axes when the articulated element is in its first position, or higher than said half-axes when the articulated element is in its second position.
 6. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the articulated element is provided with a spring.
 7. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the tray is provided with a protrusion, which is situated at the periphery of the cavity and which makes it possible to facilitate the lifting of the disc out of the packaging, wherein this protrusion is located in line with the pivot axis of the articulated element.
 8. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the base of the cavity has an aperture adjacent to the shaft, of a shape and size slightly larger than the planar projection, on said base, of the articulated element in its first position, in order to facilitate the manual actuation of said articulated element and to thus move it to its second position.
 9. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the end of the articulated element is formed by a shoulder extended by a rigid blade which bears and exerts pressure on the exposed face of the disc, whereby said rigid blade has, in places on its lower face in order to contact the disc, a pliable and adhesive covering, keeping the disc in the selected radial orientation.
 10. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the tray comprises, on one side, clipping and assembly means formed by a succession of female perforations, positioned in parallel and near to the edge, at regular spaces.
 11. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the tray comprises, on one side, assembly means formed by alternating smooth shoulders and flexible tabs.
 12. The packaging according to claim 11, wherein said flexible tabs are situated opposite the female perforations at an identical spacing and have, on their upper face, a male protrusion which can be snap-fitted into a similar succession of identical female perforations, whereby the distance separating the lower plane of the smooth shoulders and the upper plane of the flexible tabs corresponds to the thickness of the tray.
 13. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the tray is provided with articulation means formed by at least one groove parallel to the edge of said tray, said groove being formed by a reduction in thickness on each of the faces of the tray, creating a bidirectional double-hinge.
 14. The packaging according to claim 13, wherein the bidirectional hinge has an angle of at least 180°.
 15. The packaging according to claim 1, wherein the tray has a vertical engagement means formed by a curve-shaped indentation which opens out onto the side of said tray, said indentation ending in a circular-shaped stop, and comprising a hook of which the lower part is an inverted V-shape which engages, in self-centred suspension, a rod with a round cross-section, whereby a circular contact area situated at the base of the indentation can come to bear on a second rod with a round cross-section. 